Vancouver

On Staying in School and Wealthy Singles Who Are Disgusted by Poor People

Tea & Two Slices is a long-running news round-up by NEEDS frontman and veteran restaurant dishwasher Sean Orr, who lives and works in Gastown. He is very aware of his privilege, so there’s really no need to remind him of it.

Regarding the one-day, so-called “Schoolhouse Squat” by homeless at Rutherford Elementary in Nanaimo over the weekend, you’re equally mad about offshore tax havens, right? Costs to clean up Schoolhouse Squat will impact education, says school board. Right, because when a fucking S.W.A.T. team armed with assault rifles bursts in to the empty public building that you are using to keep warm in, you totally have time to clean the place up…

A lot of people are condemning the squat, saying it damages their cause, but in their words: “For the first time, because of Discontent City, homeless people are visible, strong, have a political voice and are pressing for change. They’re no longer cowering at the feet of social workers and police; they’re fighting back.”

Those who are against this squat are on the same side as those who value property over the lives of actual human beings: Soldiers of Odin appear at tense standoff as homeless squatters occupy Nanaimo school. The irony here is that the squat was meant to find a safe place in order to escape harassment and violence by assholes like the Soldiers of Odin, who literally put them under siege. (If you can’t see who the real bad guys are here then you’re probably a neoliberal.)

And as Nicole Joliet reminds us, “reactionaries’ response to a radical action is the worst possible way to measure its success because reactionaries will never be okay with threats to their power and will always find some way to spin the action as negative.”

But this is a crisis long in the making. Cuts by the federal government to affordable housing programmes and mental health facilities in the last few decades helped send many to the streets nationwide, officials and service providers said, as local authorities were unable to fill the gaps. The current affordability problem is now adding to it.

I mean, is it any wonder people are starting to embrace socialism? Socialism Is Incredibly Popular but Does Anyone Know What ‘Socialism’ Is? You mean other than an awareness that the system we currently have is completely broken and only serves to concentrate wealth in the hands of an elite few who don’t pay their fare share of taxes while perpetuating the multi-pronged crises of climate change, opioid overdoses and lack of affordable housing?

There are 3 comments

Hilarious. Lum’s East Van piece, which mocks a religion, represents grafitti, may be a stolen & designed by a guy who left the country, suddenly needs its view protected. The building will be – for many decades – the workplace of 1200 decently-paid employees, most of whom may well live in and support the economy & community of east van. A no-brainer.